Greetings | The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida welcomes you! If you have any questions about the center or the services we provide, please contact us at 352-378-7474. Our number again, is 3, 5, 2, 3, 7, 8, 7, 4, 7, 4.
Join us for our weekly classes! Youth Leadership & Social Group will be on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 PM, and Independence Hacks will be in Ocala on Tuesdays from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM. Consumers can also zoom in during this time as well. We also have another Independence Hacks on Thursday at 10: 30Am -12:00 PM.
If interested and you are new to classes, please contact Terri Poucher for the new zoom link, meeting ID and passcode by e-mail: tpoucher@cilncf.org or phone: 352-378-7474. Please share this with anyone who may wish to participate. We hope to see you there!
ID: Light green background with shamrocks and golden stars. The CIL logo is in the top left corner. Heading is in black font that reads, “March Calendar”, and underneath is a banner with Ireland flags and shamrock flags. Underneath are two green shamrocks with black text that reads “Tuesday” for the one above, and “Thursday” for the one below. The class title and meeting times are next to their corresponding weekday.
The CIL continues to offer our staff various health and wellness activities throughout the year. This past month, our Employment team was able to enjoy some time away from the office during their Team Social at Pinspiration, a local DIY craft studio in Gainesville! Pinspirtation has something cool called the “splatter room” and our Employment team was able to create an art piece in this room using tape as well as paint that they splatter onto the canvas!
Everyone had a blast and staff said It was a lot of fun! The splatter painting was easily accessible for the entire team. Staff have even gotten compliments from consumers and family about the quality of their abstract art! Pinspiration was an amazing place to come together as a team, and our staff would recommend them to anyone wanting a creative outlet. Enjoy the pictures of their experience below!
Help support our High School High Tech Program (HSHT)! The Able Trust, that helps fund our HSHT Program here at the CIL, is a finalist in the @CareSource Foundation Grant Challenge and could win a $30,000 grant for #FloridaHSHT! Vote once a day at:
ID: Blue background up top that fades into a lighter mixture of blue, yellow, and green in the middle and very light blue, yellow, and green at the bottom. The image at the top reads, “Important” with one exclamation point upside down to the left and another exclamation point to the right. Wording includes the information above. The CIL logo is at the bottom left and the HSHT logo is at the bottom right. There are two graphics of vote boxes in the middle to the left and the right.
The CILNCF offices will be closed next Friday, March 10th for a staff training day. We will resume our normal business hours on Monday, March 13th. If you have any questions, please call us at 352-378-7474.
ID: CIL Logo is in the top middle. Wording is in the middle of the graphic and contains the information above. There is a graphic picture in the bottom middle of people having a meeting at work. The background is white, with colorful borders that cover one quarter of the corners at the top and side; top left is blue, top right is purple, bottom left is green, and bottom right is turquoise.
The month of February is dedicated to honoring the long history of Black Americans and their many contributions to society. This month, we wanted to highlight the stories of Black heroes whose vision, commitment and activism helped advance progress for people with disabilities. As we reflect on the past, we remember the incredible advocates who are too often left out of the retelling of history.
ID: There are 5 graphics, each colored black, green, yellow, and red with the following text about each unsung hero of Black History Month:
Johnnie Lacy: A Voice for Black Women with Disabilities Johnnie Lacy helped found the Center for Independent Living at Berkeley and became the Director of the Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) in its early days from 1981 to 1994. During her time at CRIL, she engaged the community in groundbreaking and essential conversations about identity and the challenges that come with being a Black woman with a disability.
Brad Lomax & Chuck Jackson: Uniting the Civil Rights Community The “504 Sit In” has been widely written about, but the involvement of two Black disability activists, Brad Lomax and Chuck Jackson, has been largely overlooked. These two members of the Black Panther Party, Brad Lomax, and his assistant, Chuck Jackson, participated in the sit in. Lomax was an Oakland resident with multiple sclerosis which required him to use a wheelchair. Together, Lomax and Jackson worked with their community to cook and deliver hot meals to disability rights advocates during the 28-day protest.
Bessie Blount: Transforming what is Possible through Assistive Technology Blount believed that it was important for people with disabilities to be able to feed themselves in order to have independence and increase their self-esteem. To do this, Blount came up with a device that consisted of a tube that transported individual bites of food to the patient’s mouth. Blount’s innovation was one of the earliest forms of assistive technology for individuals with disabilities and she paved the way for many more advancements in the field.
These Black advocates, inventors, and activists — Johnnie Lacy, Brad Lomax, Chuck Jackson, and Bessie Blount — each contributed something unique to the disability movement and have helped our communities get to where we are today. It’s hard to imagine a world without their significant contributions.
Our health is everything! Last week, our CORE Program team got together (those who could) for a relaxing and fun health and wellness social activity. This is one of several wellness events the CIL is providing throughout the year for our amazing staff, so they can recharge and enjoy themselves by not talking about work! The CORE team enjoyed a painting activity as well as pizza for lunch and had a wonderful time following the how-to video and supporting each other’s efforts. Stay tuned for more CIL team wellness updates coming soon!
ID: Image contains four pictures. Picture at the top left are (from left to right) Colleen holding pink paint, Lucinda holding blue paint, Terri holding paint-brush, and Sada holding two paint-brushes. Picture at the top right is Colleen in the forefront taking a selfie with Terri, Lucinda, and Sada painting their pictures in the background. Picture at the bottom left are (from left to right) Terri and Lucinda painting their pictures, and picture at the bottom right are (from left to right) Colleen, Sada, Lucinda, and Terri holding up their finished paintings.
The Independence and Opportunity Network of Gainesville (ION) is having their next Bingo Night for young adults with disabilities this Friday, February 17th from 7 pm – 9 pm, at the Center for Independent Living, 222 SW 36th Terrace, Gainesville, FL! The cost is $5 at the door and includes pizza, drinks, dessert, prizes, and karaoke! Please let us know in advance if you would like to attend virtually via zoom. We hope to see you there!
Special thanks to HEROES from UF and additional CIL volunteers for dedicating their time to this fun event. We couldn’t do this without all of you!
Please note that next month is tentatively set for March 24th, but stay tuned for more updates!
To RSVP or for more information, please contact Trish Thoburn at iongainesville@gmail.com or call at 352-339-6278, and feel free to share with other young adults who might be interested.
ID: Bingo flyer that includes all of the information listed above, with a colorful border containing bingo cards and numbered bingo balls on the sides. The ION logo is centered up top, the CIL logo is to the upper left, and the HEROES logo is to the upper right.
ID: Bingo flyer that includes all of the information listed above, with a colorful border containing bingo cards in the bottom left corner and numbered bingo balls in the remaining corners. The ION logo is centered up top, the CIL logo is to the upper right, and the HEROES logo is to the upper left.
Happy Valentine’s Day from our hearts to yours! We love our consumers, staff, donors, volunteers, and community partners, and are so grateful for all of the love you have shown the CIL throughout the years. Sending you all much love and appreciation! XOXO, CILNCF.
ID: Background is light purple with two pastel pink circles. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” is at the top right in large, red text. In the upper right corner are a graphic of hearts moving. Below this is red text reading: “We LOVE our consumers, staff, donors, volunteers, and community partners! We are so grateful for all the love you have shown the CIL throughout the years! Happy Valentine’s Day from our hearts to yours!”. At the bottom right is the CIL logo. At the bottom center is a signature line in red bolded text, reading: “XOXO CILNCF”. At the bottom right is a heart with legs moving side to side.
Kevin and Sada attended the fourth annual Disability Resource Expo on February 4th. Wow, what an event!! There had been a three-year break since the last Disability Resource Expo, but you never would’ve guessed it by the phenomenal turnout. The community was so excited to be back and so were we! It was an honor for the Center for Independent Living to be represented alongside over 80 other community organizations. It was a perfect opportunity to network and to connect with consumers, new and old. We can’t wait to be back!
